Summary of Session 1 – Bhuvanesh Ganapathi S
The session “Storytelling for Leadership” was opened with the expression of concern as to why there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm and motivation among future leaders, and why perspective and storytelling in leadership matter.
He shared his personal journey in entrepreneurship, marked by failures before finally attaining success. His career began in major corporations such as ExxonMobil and Shell Petroleum before going into business for himself. He drew on these experiences, including the collapse of his initial ventures and the setbacks during the 2008 financial crisis, to illustrate the importance of resilience. He likened his act of perseverance to the character Deadpool, known for just how relentless he is when chips are down.
The other important point of this session was a message of simplicity and perspective. It elaborated on the need to bring simplicity into problem solving and decision making by getting the participants to exercise dividing a circle into parts, which evidences how one over complicates the solution and actually looks for simple solutions to it. The other important element he mentioned was the importance of taking a 360-degree perspective to get a holistic view of the things and situations around and not missing any critical details. It was also clear how much knowledge about the interwovenness of different factors made for effective leadership.
The central place and power of story in the scheme of things. From Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, examples proved how storytelling wove into it complex issues that became relatable and memorable. It crystallized abstract ideas and galvanized action—just those very elements that helped people engage with stories and provoke change.
Demonstration storytelling can demystify abstract concepts by moving difficult ideas into relatable examples. He drew a comparison between the impact of the trans fat in popcorn with everyday items like cigarettes and samosas, making the concept more accessible. The workshop also brought out the fact that stories make one feel and convert fact-based information into powerful stories, hence increasing its effectiveness and leaving an impact on the audience.
Storytelling skills were described with passion. He described what one feels are the key ingredients of an effective story: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, and emotional resonance. He gave real examples of how these elements work in practice, proving one is able to capture audiences and share even complex information through stories.